Mountains and Villages

Sunday we all piled into a van and headed to Nagarkot, a village 32 kms east of Kathmandu famous for its views. In fact, tourists often go to Nagarkot for a one-night stay and a chance to see the sun rise over the Himalayan Mountains. It was a bit overcast 5:30 Monday morning as we gathered on a terrace to watch the sunrise and a spectacular view of the snow peaked mountains. For us though our stay was only a precursor to a hike down into the neighbouring valley and a visit to a rural village. Gokul, our primary guide over these six weeks, was kind enough to take us to his family home. After a two hour trek past amazing scenery- narrow paths that wound through forests and farms; small homesteads with stone and mud buildings; terraced fields of wheat and corn; goats, water buffalo, cows and chickens; birds and crickets; and school yards full of wide-eyed children – we arrived in his village. Gokul’s father showed us their home while his mother prepared a traditional Nepali meal of rice and vegetables. It was wonderful to be there and experience this part of Nepal. Plots of land are small and work is done by hand, wheat is harvested with a short scythe and fields are ploughed with a single shovel pulled by a cow or buffalo. It looks like hard, back-breaking work. Here are some pictures that give you a taste of what we experienced.

All in all, it was a great weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and a great opportunity to experience a slice of rural Nepal life. 

  Terraced fields

A water buffalo about to get a wash

 The trail down

 Bringing home the harvest

A man carrying a plough back from the field

Gokul's family home in the background and the beginnings of a his family's new home in the foreground

College students with village students outside the village school